DOHA: Goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham was Qatar’s hero as the hosts and holders beat Uzbekistan 3-2 on penalties on Saturday to put them into an Asian Cup semifinal with Japan’s conquerors Iran.
Barsham saved three times in the penalty shootout after the quarter-final with Uzbekistan ended 1-1 following 120 minutes of stalemate.
Pedro Miguel slotted in the winning penalty for Qatar in front of almost 60,000 fans at the tent-like Al-Bayt Stadium north of Doha.
The triumphant Qatar players tossed Barsham in the air at the end.
